Pros and Cons of Cardio Exercises

Cardio exercises, as the name implies, are exercises to enhance the activity of your heart. These exercises are beneficial for your heart. These exercises, which target the cardiovascular fitness of the body, can be done with our without the help of equipments.

Types of cardio exercises
There is a wide variety of cardio exercises. Cardio exercises include running, jogging, walking, swimming, skiing rock climbing and certain types of aerobics done with machines and water aerobics. You can choose a cardio exercise according to your temperament and physical condition. Always choose exercises that you enjoy doing over and over again. You can freely blend different types of cardio workouts.

Depending on the intensity of the exercise, cardio exercises can be divided into two groups – low intensity cardio and high intensity cardio. Low intensity cardio are slow and steady exercises that last between 45 to 60 minutes. These exercises are beneficial in burning fats. The biggest advantage of low intensity cardio is that they are not harmful for the joints.

High intensity cardio exercises last for about 20 to 30 minutes. By shooting up the metabolism rate, they burn considerable amount of calories. To avoid injury, high intensity cardio exercises should be done under expert supervision.

Cardio exercise benefits
Cardio exercises helps to burn the excess calories in your body. Compared to aerobic exercises, cardio exercise burn less fat. To lose weight you have to practice cardio exercises for prolonged period. Low intensity cardio exercises are more effective in reducing the fats in your body. Moreover, by increasing the resting metabolism rate, cardio exercises further stimulates the weight loss process. By increasing the flow of oxygenated blood in the heart, cardio exercises could lower the risk of heart diseases.

Cardio exercises disadvantage
Although, cardio exercises are good for your heart and lungs, your joints might suffer from these exercises. Constant friction between the bones and ligaments of your joint, for prolonged period, could damage them. It may take a long time to lose weight with cardio exercises.